What Clutter Will You Leave Behind for Family to Clean Up?

Sooner or later, we will die or become seriously ill and need to be moved to a nursing home. We don't like to think about it, but honestly it's inevitable. We have an opportunity now to clear out most of the junk that would burden family/friends. So why not lighten their load now while we can?

Eleven years ago, my mother had a stroke that left her disabled. We bought a mobile home and moved her next door to us where we could tend to her. But moving all of her junk was a real chore. Her house was so full that the bedrooms couldn't even be used as bedrooms. One bathroom was a storage room. Two storage buildings in the backyard were filled with nothing of any value. We literally hauled everything from the storage buildings to the landfill--mouse-eaten clothes, molded books, broken windows, old tires to vehicles long gone, junk, junk, junk. Much of the stuff in the house wasn't much better. It took weeks to clear it all out. Will you leave this kind of mess for your family?

A few years ago, when I got sick, I knew I couldn't do that to my family. So I started decluttering. I wasn't a hoarder per se, but I collected things that were really of value only to me--like my excessive book collection. If I read a book, I kept it forever. I decided to clear out anything I wasn't using that could be a burden to someone else. I donated about 2000 books to our public library. I freecycled a lot of stuff to needy families and sold some too.

I also doled out "inheritances" while I was still alive. I had items that I intended to pass along to my son, nieces, nephews and siblings when I died. But I realized I wouldn't get to see them enjoy those items then. So I gave them away while I was living and experienced the pleasure of seeing their appreciation of the treasured items.

I continually try to minimalize my possessions, keeping only the most worthy items. I no longer hoard books or nicnacs. Every item in my house must have a purpose. When it's served its purpose and is no longer useful to me, I move it out. I haven't completely cleared my house of clutter yet, but I'm getting there. And I have the satisfaction of knowing that my son or my brother wouldn't be stuck with a mess. Most of the things left behind would actually be valuable and could be used by family or sold. Hopefully, there won't be anything to cart off to the landfill.

Have you thought about decluttering to save your family the trouble? What are you doing to work towards that goal?